1) The title race has entered the final straight
Antonio Conte will stress there is work still to be done but Chelsea, on this evidence, will be crowned champions at the Hawthorns before the end of the week. West Bromwich Albion will do well to suppress this team’s threat on Friday with the finishing line so close after their dismantling of Middlesbrough. The pace and bite of their forays forward took the breath away at times, with Eden Hazard scuttling at his markers and Diego Costa bullying centre-halves and full-backs alike. The balance to the team has felt ideal since last September and, for all Tottenham Hotspur’s wonderful recent run, the final table may give the impression that their success was a procession. Conte, as agitated as ever on the touchline here, may finally relax in the weeks ahead. There will be no stopping his team this season.
2) The Championship awaits Middlesbrough
The Boro team coach had shunted a vehicle on Fulham Road en route to Stamford Bridge, adding to their delay in reaching the ground, though this whole performance smacked of a car crash. A speedy return to the Championship was duly confirmed with a defensively prone and, fittingly enough, infuriatingly toothless display in south-west London. This campaign has felt like a missed opportunity with Boro having failed to attack the Premier League, whether that was down to Aitor Karanka’s overly cautious tactics or the board’s reluctance to spend more heavily in the mid-winter window, when the players recruited were arguably more suited to life in the second tier. The consolation is that, for all that there will surely be some departures over the summer, they should be equipped to compete next term for a speedy return once their managerial situation is resolved. But the frustration is a club who had waited so long for this chance effectively ended up departing with merely a whimper.
3) This was a Fàbregas passing masterclass
If ever there was a game when Chelsea could afford to be without N’Golo Kanté – the newly crowned PFA and FWA footballer of the year was absent with a thigh complaint – then this was it. Cesc Fàbregas stepped in alongside Nemanja Matic in the centre and inevitably orchestrated so much of the home side’s attacking play, setting the tempo from the centre with glorious diagonal passes to marauding wing‑backs, or tight close control and delivery to the front three. Boro never came close to snuffing out his threat, with his glorious pass for Diego Costa, flicking off Fabio da Silva, providing the hosts’ opening goal. That was his 10th Premier League assist of term, the sixth time he has achieved that tally in the English top flight, with his 11th following after the break. The Spaniard has not started as often as he would have liked this season, but he remains invaluable to this team. It would be folly to part with him this summer.
4) Alonso’s revelatory campaign continues
It did not take long for Chelsea’s plan to attack Fabio’s defensive deficiencies to be exposed. Each time Fàbregas or Cesar Azpilicueta merrily pinged those cross‑field passes beyond Boro’s panicked full‑back, offered no support by Adama Traoré, there was Marcos Alonso sprinting into the space to collect on his in-step. The Spaniard’s arrival for £24m from Fiorentina had prompted raised eyebrows, largely given his quieter contribution with Bolton and Sunderland earlier in his career, but he has been outstanding all season. This system is made for him, tapping into his pace and comfort in forward areas, but he has seized his opportunity. It was his effort which flicked off the underside of Brad Guzan’s body and up on to the crossbar early on, and his fizzed centre which flew in off the American’s left leg just after the half-hour. Chelsea lack senior cover in his position, but they may not need to recruit a first-choice this summer. Alonso fits the bill.
5) John Terry may now get his send-off
The home support had bellowed in delight at the sight of John Terry entering the fray here seven minutes from time, affording his every touch thereafter with further whoops of appreciation. How the veteran must be yearning proper involvement as his glittering career at this club winds down and, should Chelsea secure the title on Friday, then surely he will granted the send-off he deserves in the team’s remaining fixtures. Watford and Sunderland are still to visit Stamford Bridge ahead of the FA Cup final and, given the aches and pains David Luiz has been suffering over recent weeks, the 36-year-old will surely start at least one of those league games. Antonio Conte has praised his contribution on the training pitch and in the dressing room all season but, for all that Terry will go out with a fifth Premier League title to his name, the centre-half has not started a league game since mid‑September. A proper chance to say goodbye awaits. Dominic Fifield